May 27, 2018 Passionate Pray Pastor Charles Mendenhall There are so many different ways to pray; intercessory, prayer of faith, prayer of consecration and the regular believing kinds of prayer. Prayer always has faith involved, it is joining forces with God, implementing His will, His plan and purposes here on earth, in our lives, businesses, homes and church. God can do nothing unless someone asks or prays. When Adam sold out to the devil through deception, he was no longer in control of the garden, authority had been transferred to the enemy. But God devised a plan through His Son Jesus that would redeem mankind and restore authority and dominion to man here in the earth, because Jesus conquered the enemy. Now that authority has been restored to us through Jesus, Gods plan is that we come to Him through prayer and begin to establish His plan here on earth. There have been many examples of different kinds of prayer being offered up due to different events that were going on back in the early 1800's, banks had failed, businesses were failing because of shortages, there was talk of a war; the north vs the south, presidental elections and meetings in general, but it had taken many people offering up prayer, asking for guidance in what was happening around them. Small groups of business men started praying and within a short time those small groups had grown to be quite large. One pastor in England was ask what the secret to the growth of his church was and he told them how there was a group of people in the basement of his church, over 300 who were praying continually during his meetings. Prayer is the engine that drives the church and us, prayer is like the engine of a car, take the engine out and the car is not going anywhere. We cannot let prayer through legislation, be taken out of the church and think that the church in America will be successful. We must stop being concerned about political correctness, our concern
should be what God wants for His church and for us. Without people being helped, the church is to no avail, but it must have people willing to pray. Daniel prayed for 21 days, the angel told him that his prayers were heard the first day but because of resistance in heaven the answers had been delayed. We have to be persistent in our prayers like Daniel knowing that there will be resistance to our prayers. There are evil forces that are resisting our prayers, so stay in faith, don't give up the answers will come for what we have ask. The evil forces are trying to establish the plan of the enemy, but our mission is to establish the plan of God. 1 John 5:14-15 "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." KJV Many people do not realize that this promise is in the bible, but in order for us to have the true knowledge, we must keep our relationship with Jesus alive in us. We can then say we have confidence, asking anything according to His will, knowing that He hears us and knowing that we will receive the petitions that we desire of Him. So we ask what is Gods will? We don't want to be praying against what His will for us is. His will is found in the word, but we have to read the will or the word in order to find out what the plan is. In the natural when there is a will to be read, the family is waiting for the reading to see what has been left to them, it is the same with the word of God, we will find what He has given to us. It is part of our inheritance. John 15:7-8 "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples" KJV Previously, Jesus has been teaching regarding the branches and the tree. Staying connected with Him we will be able to pray and have those prayers answered. He has a plan for us and by using the authority of His name and knowing when we ask it will be done, having His words grounded in us, they become powerful when asking because we know what the will or the word says and we will receive what we have asked, fruit or answered prayer. John 15:7-8 "But if you live in life-union with me and if my words live powerfully within you then you can ask whatever you desire and it will be done. 8 When your lives bear abundant fruit, you demonstrate that you are my mature disciples who glorify my Father!" PASSION
God and His plan has never changed, Jesus' plan has never changed, He is still the same, Jesus' plan is that all our needs be met through prayer and believing God and walking in faith, regardless of the level that we are on. Eph 6:18 "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;" KJV We need to be praying for one another, being persistent and not giving up. When in intercessory prayer for others, we need to be led by the spirit because of not knowing what to pray for, the following scripture tells us how to do that. Sometimes we know what to pray but don't know how. The spirit of God will make intercession through you because He sees and understands the situation that He is wanting to use you, to make a difference in. Rom 8:26-27 "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God." KJV The following scripture gives an example of the power of prayer. We have all had examples of answered prayer in our lives. Elijah had prayed regarding rain and had prayed that there would be none for 3 1/2 years. He was no different than what we are, he dealt with the same things that we do in life, there was nothing special about him. Prayers can sometimes be hindered when there is unforgiveness or bitterness in our lives. *Prayers of a heartfelt, righteous man are powerful and dynamic in its working (grasp on to this verse). If a man is in right standing with Jesus which has been given to us, we are clothed in His righteousness which is separate from works, and through that free gift of righteousness, we are to rule and reign in life as kings. James 5:16-18 "Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. *The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]. 17 Elijah was a human being with a nature such as we have [with feelings, affections, and a constitution like ours]; and he prayed earnestly for it not to rain, and no rain fell on the earth for three years and six months. 18 And [then] he prayed again and the heavens supplied rain and the land produced its crops [as usual]" AMP
If we open up our hearts, the rain that God sends to the earth will do the same for us, it will not return void because God has said it. If we begin to hear the word and confess the word, the rain will produce in our lives like the natural rain, we will begin to see a change. Elijah had been in fear, his life had been threatened and he was wanting to take his life, he felt like that no one else was serving God but he was just like we are with feelings and a constitution. In earlier chapters of 1st Kings, He had experienced great miracles exposing the Baal worshipers and destroying them, calling down fire from heaven. He had prayed earnestly and there was no rain, later he prayed and it rained, the drought was broken and the land produced crops. The following scriptures tell the story of what had transpired before it began to rain and what happened when it began to rain. He warned the king of what was to come and prepared to leave himself. Elijah was tuned into what Gods plan was and had establish himself what was to be done in the earth, seeing what was to happen by the eye of faith. There was nothing that looked like rain, but within a short time, clouds appeared and the storm came. Elijah had prayed the effectual, fervant prayer of a righteous man, the prayer was mighty in its working. 1 Kings 18:41-46 "And Elijah said to Ahab, Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of abundance of rain. 42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed himself down upon the earth and put his face between his knees 43 And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up and looked and said, There is nothing. Elijah said, Go again seven times. 44 And at the seventh time the servant said, A cloud as small as a man s hand is arising out of the sea. And Elijah said, Go up, say to Ahab, Hitch your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you. 45 In a little while, the heavens were black with wind-swept clouds, and there was a great rain. And Ahab went to Jezreel. 46 The hand of the Lord was on Elijah. He girded up his loins and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel [nearly twenty miles]." AMP James 5:18 "And [then] he prayed again and the heavens supplied rain and the land produced its crops [as usual]" AMP Isa 55:11 "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." KJV Don't despise small beginnings. You may be in a place in your life that seems to be so insignificant, nothing is happening, keep the switch of faith turned on. It only takes small things sometimes that bring big answers. We may be challenged
sometimes in regarding to prayer because of feeling unworthy, guilty or shameful and are afraid to ask God for anything. If this is the way we are feeling, we won't pray. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]. 1 John 3:20-22 "It s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves. And friends, once that s taken care of and we re no longer accusing or condemning ourselves, we re bold and free before God! We re able to stretch our hands out and receive what we asked for because we re doing what he said, doing what pleases him." MESSAGE 1 Cor 6: 9-11 "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." KJV What we may be saying about ourselves is far more important than what others are saying about us. We may have done some of these things but that is not who we are now, walking in love and getting rid of self criticism, we are now the righteousness of God. God knows us better than we know ourselves and we can now come boldly to the throne of grace. It is destructive what we think of ourselves and we must get rid of it. God is greater than the conscience that may be condemning us, His heart is greater than the shame and guilt that the enemy is trying to destroy us with. Take a step of faith, taking mercy and grace, coming boldly before the throne, grace is Gods ability working in us, enabling us to do what we are unable to do in our own ability. We need mercy and grace and we find it at the throne. It is Gods power working in us, we are no longer plagued with the condemnation and guilt that the enemy is trying to place upon us. Now, we can ask and if we know that He hears us we know that we have what we ask. Heb 4:16 "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." KJV Mark 11:24 "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." KJV